New RestEaze Device Detects Leg Jerks
The sleeping version of the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is known as Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). Tremendous controversy surrounds both these conditions, but the sleeping version of leg jerks presents the most complexity and therefore the greatest ambiguities. Until more recently, the majority in the sleep medicine profession argued against leg jerks operating as an independent sleep disorder.
More recent opinions show leg jerks do in fact lead to sleep fragmentation and thus adversely influence sleep quality. PLMD therefore has been associated with many different symptoms and disorders.
The persisting clinical problem in addressing PLMD regards measurement and difficulties in detection, especially as it relates to how a leg jerk produces an arousal in the brain.
Enter the new RestEaze device that operates with multiple sensor elements and now appears to be a major breakthrough in diagnosing leg jerks, including subtle leg movements that nonetheless cause sleep fragmentation.
If the device proves effective, it would be a major enhancement over current procedures as it could be used at home to accurately look at the problem of PLMD. Current EMG (electromyography) has proven very inconsistent and unreliable over the years.